Leeds professor honored among 50 influential UK engineers
A Leeds professor has been named one of 50 leading engineers in a special photographic series celebrating the Royal Academy of Engineering’s 50th anniversary.
Cath Noakes, Professor of Environmental Engineering for Buildings at the University of Leeds, is internationally recognised by RAEng's list for her research into ventilation, indoor air quality and the transmission of airborne disease.
The Academy’s 50for50 collection was formally unveiled on National Engineering Day (4 November) as part of its anniversary celebrations, and features Fellows whose innovations have helped tackle some of humanity’s greatest challenges.
Photojournalist Jude Vidal created the series, which brings together engineers elected to the Academy from every decade of its history. The portraits were taken in homes, laboratories, offices, workshops and outdoor settings, offering a glimpse of the people behind major advances in engineering.
Her 50for50 profile highlights the important role she played during the COVID-19 pandemic as a member of the UK Government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), where her expertise helped inform guidance on ventilation, air cleaning and reducing infection risk in indoor environments.
Professor Noakes’ contribution to the pandemic response led to her being made an OBE in 2020, before she was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2021. In 2023, she received the Royal Society’s prestigious Gabor Medal for her contribution to infection risk modelling.
The award recognised work that Professor Noakes herself described as a highly collaborative effort. Speaking after receiving the medal, she said: “The Gabor Medal is for leadership of a multidisciplinary approach, but I feel this award really belongs to the huge number of people that I have had the pleasure of working with in the UK and internationally, who helped save countless lives during an extremely difficult time.”
The 50for50 portraits celebrate engineers working across fields ranging from telecommunications and artificial intelligence to wind energy, satellites and healthcare. They also appear in a special anniversary issue of The Engineer and will be part of exhibitions across the UK.
Further information
- Image credit: Jess Watson / National Science and Media Museum.
- Read Professor Cath Noakes’ 50for50 profile on the Royal Academy of Engineering website.
- Read a special issue of The Engineer, which celebrates the Academy’s 50th anniversary milestone and all 50 engineers.
- For media enquiries, please contact Faculty Communications Manager Matt Gardner at M.D.Gardner@leeds.ac.uk.
